


equitable eloquence

by weatheredlaw



Category: Zootopia (2016)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Royalty, Class Differences, Declarations Of Love, F/M, Heartbreak, Love Confessions, Nobility, Not Beta Read
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-20
Updated: 2016-06-24
Packaged: 2018-07-16 04:23:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,970
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7251925
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/weatheredlaw/pseuds/weatheredlaw
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Judy suddenly finds herself adrift in a foreign sea, struggling to stay afloat.</p><p>or: judy comes to inherit the rule of the burrows, and falls for a rather irritating adviser.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> abby the sister strikes again.

“I think,” Abigail says carefully, “that you enjoy the fox a bit too much.”

Judy doesn’t bother to look up from her book, turning the page for effect (she’ll have to go _back_ and _re-read_ that bit, but it is worth it to prove how _disinterested_ she truly is).

“I do not enjoy the fox. He is a _fox,_ Abby. By nature, we do not enjoy one another.”

Her sister sighs. “And whoever decided on _that_ rule? Hm? Our grandfather? His grandfather? _His_ grandfather? All these rules we follow and you obsess over seem to have been created by our elders. We’ve never even met the men who came before you, _and_ you’re the first woman to lead the Burrow in the first place. I say, old rules made by old men are _meant_ —”

“Don’t finish that sentence,” Judy says, closing her book with a snap. “I won’t entertain this discussion a second longer. You have your language lesson to get to, I won’t have you being _late_ again.”

Abigail huffs. “Fine. But you _do_ enjoy Ser Wilde, and I won’t hear arguments to the contrary.” With a flourish, Abby lifts her skirts and exits. She has _always_ needed to have the last word, and Judy has been more than accommodating – but about this...

She sets her book to the side. There are a dozen other things she needs to be doing this afternoon. Complete knowledge of the Burrow and how to run it is still not her strong suit. Since inheriting the proverbial helm from her grandfather some months prior, Judy has been struggling to manage. She can’t ask her own parents – they have their own land and laws to attend to. Her uncle has been less than helpful, considering he was passed over for his niece, of all rabbits, and her grandmother has not been well for many years. So Judy had brought her closest sister, all her books, and named her own advisers.

One of whom _happened_ to be a fox. A rather annoying fox, she often thought after their meetings. Annoying. And funny, she supposed. Clever, she had decided. Well-versed in the laws of nobility, and the needs of the people. A transplant from the city, he had been named a Knight in King Lionheart’s court, and sent to advise the Lady Judith on matters concerning protection and, he did often tease, _dragons._ He had been in charge of bringing on the soldiers and trainees who would be devoted to her safety, and he had done an excellent job.

With a jolt, Judy remembers she has a _meeting_ with said fox, just as the door opens to reveal one of the guards he had handpicked to stand outside her quarters.

“M’lady. Ser Wilde is here to see you.”

Judy nods, straightening her skirts as she stands. “See him into the library, please.”

“Of course, m’lady.” The guard excuses himself and Judy strides toward the mirror in her little study, righting the diadem nestled around the base of her ears. It had been a gift from her mother and father, an alternative to the large crown her grandfather had always worn. She didn’t wear it often, but during meetings, it gave her a sense of authority that she still didn’t quite feel she owned – the diadem made it hers, even if the mammal seated across from her didn’t agree.

Nicholas Wilde agreed, right from the start. His first words to her had been, “Finally, they did something _right_ in one of these gussied up villages.” A woman, he had argued, would be a refreshing change of pace.

“And a leader not on the cusp of _death_ ,” he’d added, paw flourishing in the air between them, “is such a relief.”

“I assure you, Ser Wilde, I have no intention of dying.”

“I know that,” he’d teased. “And it’s Nick. Nicholas, if you’re feeling official.”

“Your title will suffice.”

“Yes,” he’d murmured, in a way Judy did not quite understand. “I suppose it will.”

 

* * *

 

He’s waiting for her in the library, and doesn’t even turn when she enters. He only says, “These aren’t _your_ terrible books, are they?”

“Why it’s _lovely_ to see you as well, Ser Wilde. And no, they are not.” She takes her place next to him, reaching out and snatching the volume from his paws. “I believe these were purchased by my great-great-grandfather.” She glances at the shelves. “If you search a little higher, I think we have a series on fox hunting.”

“Liar.”

“Perhaps.” Judy slides the book back into the place. “You wanted to discuss the guard schedule, did you not?”

“I did. Among a few other things.” He looks her up and down. “You’re wearing something different.”

Judy flushes. She’d allowed one of her older maids to dress her that morning – the ones who clung to the lifted skirts and tight bodices of the old days. Judy would not allowed them to pinch her ribs until she couldn’t breathe, but she had enjoyed walking around in something that seemed to _bounce_ with her.

“I had no idea you had an eye for fashion.”

“I see you every week. I notice things.” He gestures for her to take a seat first before sitting down and taking out his notes. They discuss the schedules of the guards for well over an hour – the two can usually come to a begrudging agreement after a certain point, but today Judy seems to find herself being more…contrary than usual.

She blames her sister.

“I think _that’s_ the best we’ll be able to do,” Wilde says tersely, putting his things away. “I don’t know why you’ve chosen to fight me about _this_ ,” he adds.

“There is no reason. We simply don’t agree.”

“Come now, Judith.” He always calls her that, had dispensed with the _m’lady_ and _Lady Hopps_ weeks ago. “You’ve got something buzzing around up there.”

“It’s none of your business,” she says, even though there is _something_ in her that wants to _make_ it his business. Like she wants him to know that her sister thinks her ladyship is rather _fond_ of the argumentative, disagreeable _fox_.

She thinks, though, that he’ll push. That he’ll try to make it so.

He doesn’t.

“Then it is none of my business,” he says quietly, and stands. “I’m glad we could come to an agreement.”

“As am I.” She lifts her skirt. “You are dismissed, ser.”

“Thank you.” He gives a quick bow and exits the room swiftly.

Judy realizes then that her paws are clutching the fabric of her dress so tight, she’s wrinkled the folds.

 

* * *

 

When he had first come to her “court” – and she had been as reluctant then as she is now to even call it that – Nicholas Wilde had grated on Judy’s nerves straight away. He had a dozen atrocious nicknames for every one of her advisers, a few for her, and had planned on leaving after only a few weeks. He missed his post in the city, he missed his closeness with the king’s court, the freedom to do as he pleased –

Here, he’d argued, there were too many rules, too many restrictions, too many curfews and traditions. Judy could not argue, but she could not allow him the same lifestyle he’d lived under Lionheart’s supervision, or lack thereof.

And so, they had chafed at one another. They had bickered and argued – Judy wanted things done her way, Nick saw no sense in changing her grandfather’s methodology. While he felt a woman in power was a benefit to the Burrow at large, he saw no need for the overhaul that Judy did.

He had been brought around to her way of thinking, but not after she’d fired him twice, he’d stormed out of four meetings, and they’d screamed at one another so intensely that guards came running from three different wings.

All they had not done was fight with actual blades. It had taken an entire week to convince him to give her lessons.

“Your stance has improved,” he says to her now. A few days have passed since their meeting – whatever tension was there is no longer sparking between them, not any more than usual. They have a _normal amount of tension_ Judy insists to her sister, who watches on from the shade of a rather large umbrella, drinking something bright pink from a large wine glass.

“Show ‘em, Judy!”

“Yes, Judy.” Nick smiles and unsheathes his practice sword. “ _Show me._ ”

“ _Ugh_ , you’re both horrible,” she mutters, but adjusts her riding pants and top as she prepares for their “duel.” Skirts, Nick had argued, were not meant for dueling.

Judy wishes her sister had stayed inside. All she’s done is complain about the heat, but Judy knows she’s only there to watch and tease, later. _You are fond of the fox, you enjoy the fox, you—_

_Desire._

The word strikes like a blow, but neither has struck yet. Judy swallows. It is not appropriate, it is not right, it is not _fair_ –

“Are you ready, Judith?”

“Whenever you are, Ser.”

He laughs. “I’ll never get a _Nicholas_ out of you, will I?”

“Not so long as you refuse to admit defeat.”

“Well then.” He shifts his stance. “It will take some time, won’t it?”

They duel.

He wins, but not by much. They’re both panting at the end, her sword only falling from her grip because Judy is _exhausted_ , she’s never pushed herself this hard before. From the corner of her eye, she can see Abigail watching, mouth ajar, horrid pink drink barely gripped in her paw. Nick tosses down his sword and swallows.

“We’re done for the day,” he says.

Judy breathes. “Abby. Go inside.”

“But I—”

“ _Go. Inside._ ” She turns to her sister with a quick twist, and Abby startles, nearly dropping her glass. She and her maid make themselves scarce, and Judy sends the guards posted around the area away as well. Nick only stares. “You and I must discuss something.”

“Like we did the other day? I’ve already fought you enough this morning, _m’lady._ ” The word is nearly a snarl. “I think I’ve had my fill.”

“You asked what was on my mind.”

“I assumed it was one of a dozen ways to torture me,” he says dryly, pulling off his gloves. “You said it was none of my business. I’ve no intention of prying, Judy.”

“And you haven’t. I thought you might, but—”

He laughs. “Do you think so little of me? That I disrespect your privacy enough to dig at your thoughts until you give something up? I’m not your friend.” He bends to pick up the practice blades. “I am your _sword_ , Lady Hopps, for as long as I am needed.” He bows. “Good day.”

He has turned away from her, and Judy knows if she doesn’t say it, she never will. She almost _shouts_ at his retreating back: “I enjoy your company, Ser Wilde. Very much.”

The words still him. For a moment, there is nothing but the flap of a bird’s wings as it lands on the stone wall surrounding them. It coos gently. Judy wonders if the silence is a draw – she wonders if a flock of noisy birds will land at their feet, if only to make a nuisance of themselves.

“I have no idea what that means,” Nick says quietly. He still hasn’t turned to face her. “You _enjoy_ my company. My company is satisfying, then? For a fox? My company is not so offensive? For a fox?”

“That was not what I said, don’t twist my words—”

“No one in this Burrow wants me here,” he says suddenly, turning to look at her. “Every time I go outside these walls, every rabbit in this place wants me to vanish.”

“I don’t,” Judy insists. “I have never asked you to—”

“You argue and you push!” He advances, now. “You are contrary and argumentative, you never can agree with me, you never can see things my way—”

“I’ve been that way my entire life, ask anyone who knows me—”

“Then _what_ , pray tell, does _I enjoy your company_ even _mean_ , Lady Hopps, because I—”

“I am falling in _love_ with you!” she shouts, and immediately covers her mouth. Everything about what they are, every breath that travels – it trembles. Nick stares, and Judy shakes.

“…Judy—”

“I…I must go.” She backs away. “Thank you for the lesson, Ser. And…and if you would like, you may leave the Burrow whenever you desire.”

_Desire._

He leans the swords against the wall. “Don’t go.”

“I must, though. I’ve…I’ve said enough.”

“No, you haven’t.”

“Please, Ser, not another step.”

Nick freezes, watching as she continues to back toward the doors. “This isn’t over.”

“It is,” she says. “For today, it most certainly is.”

 

* * *

 

Though she excuses him from his duties, Nicholas Wilde does not leave.

Abby wants to know what happened, but Judy can’t bring herself to relive the moment any more than she already does. Her sister pries and pries and pries, and she must _suspect_ – but she never gets to the heart of the matter.

It being that, speaking of hearts – Judy’s is no longer her own.

But Abigail can’t see that yet, and so she guesses at any number of things that could have been said.

And Nick –

He takes to calling her _Lady Hopps_.

All of their business is discussed in general advisory meetings.

He does not appear in her library.

And he does not insist upon their dueling class the next week.

Judy suddenly finds herself adrift in a foreign sea, struggling to stay afloat.

She has fallen for this fox, and suddenly, he is no longer there for her to ignore.

He is simply gone from her, and she has no idea what to do next.

 

* * *

 

And then, of course, her sister solves it.

 

* * *

 

“If you love him the way I think you do, then you mustn’t let this go on.”

“I don’t love him,” Judy insists, but the words are dry, like dead weeds sprouting on her tongue. “He won’t have me.”

“He should,” Abby says. “He’s not as attractive as you, he’s not as smart as you—”

“He is _very_ handsome, and incredibly clever,” Judy snaps. “Don’t insult him.”

Her sister whistles. “You’ve got it bad, Jude.”

Judy groans. “I hate this.”

“Don’t hate this. Love this. And use your status. You’ve got the power to call a meeting.” Abby goes to dressing room, shuffling around and pulling out a dress. “Arrange a meeting, wear _this_ —”

“That dress is _not_ appropriate for a meeting. It’s a riding dress, what are you—”

“He appreciates you at your simplest, Judy. You are your most beautiful when you aren’t adorned in ribbons and folds of fabric. Let him _see you_ , like he does when you train together.”

“And if it is all just… _wasted._ If he doesn’t love me back?”

Abby smiles, dropping a kiss on her sister’s forehead. “Then he’s a fool who doesn’t deserve a place in your court, because there is no one worthier of love than you.”

 

* * *

 

He is late for their meeting. Judy had almost not worn the diadem, but Abby had thrust it onto her head at the last minute.

“Simply dressed, yes, but you are still the Lady of this house.”

It weighs heavily on her. She wonders if he’ll come at all.

The door to the library opens, and a guard announces him. Judy stands, and Nick crosses the room, bows, and waits for her to have a seat.

Neither do. They stand in terrible silence, until the guard has left.

“Should I open the window?” she suddenly asks.

“Why?”

“I…to have something to do.”

“There isn’t a reason for this?” He does away with hierarchies and sits down. “I’m done playing games, Judith. If you want me to leave the Burrow, I’ll go. But you can’t…” He scrubs a paw over his face. “What you _said_ —”

“I said that I loved you. It wasn’t a lie.”

“You said you were falling in love with me.”

“Yes,” she says. “And I believe the process is now complete.”

Nick snorts. “That quickly?”

Judy shrugs. “I think it was done some time ago, it’s simply taken a while for me to see.”

“How convenient,” he mutters.

Judy frowns. “Ser Wilde, if you are tired of me, or if you would rather not listen, then you may go. If you had never intended on it, then I don’t know why you bothered to show your face here at all—”

He stands, abruptly, and cross the space between them. It is an aggressive move, and her paws are suddenly in his. His snout is almost _touching_ her own.

“Don’t you know?” he asks.

“…I do not.”

“You do, though.”

“Nick—”

“This is what I have to do, then? To get you to say my name? I have to throw my feelings at your feet? Bare myself to you like this? Should I scrawl the words all over the wall, next? Maybe in my own blood?”

“Don’t be _vile_ —”

“I love you,” he snaps. “It has been _torture_ these months. It happened so quickly, I hardly knew myself. I have _never,_ I swore that I _would_ never—”

“Never love?” Judy asks.

“No. Never fall like a fool. But you make me that way. You make me bicker and argue and fight and being able to pick up a sword against you, watch you throw yourself into every session…it was more than I could have hoped for. You gave me something to look forward to, because I thought it would be the only way to tell you how I felt.” He looks at the floor between them. “I am…an unsuitable match.”

“No, Nick—”

“I am, though. A fox, and a _soldier._ You’re nobility, you’re the one these people look up to. To see a fox by your side? How could I diminish you that way?”

“You don’t diminish me. Nick, _please_ , don’t see yourself that. Don’t look at yourself like that, don’t _talk_ about yourself like that—”

He pulls away. “Forgive me, m’lady. Forgive me for thinking that…that I could be good enough.”

“You _are_ enough. Nick you are _more than enough_ —” She grabs him.

She grabs him and brings him to her.

They collide. She kisses. He holds. His paws are warm and they tremble. The air sparks. A flame, a fire, a storm resides in them both.

She _loves_ , she realizes. It is more than desire. It is more than fondness or enjoyment. And she’s said it, yes, but until this moment she did not know, did not understand –

How quickly she fell, how quickly she gave over her heart, and all without realizing –

 _I won’t diminish you_.

“Oh, _Nick._ ”

He trembles. All of him.

“You deserve better,” he says. “I…let my heart get away from me. That was my mistake. Please, forgive me.”

“But you—” He pulls back, and Judy reaches, misses, and finds herself at a loss. She holds her body like she has been wounded, and here, she realizes, she has been. The pain of this, of watching him walk away, knowing that he will leave the Burrow, return to the city, and _never be hers_ –

It is a physical ache. It suddenly lives in her and takes up in her bones and she gasps for air.

She has never had her heart broken before, but – she does wonder.

 _Can_ it be broken, when it is no longer in her possession?


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm tired, i've had the longest two weeks at work ever, i'm close to burnout, and i'm going on vacation. this is the ending of this, and i'm sorry if it's horrible, but it's what my brain made.
> 
> ur lucky it's happy, i almost broke everything again.

The dress is ill-fitted, but from the outside, one couldn’t tell. Judy takes another sharp, awkward breath and gives her sister a look. “I don’t like it.”

“You should like it. You look wonderful in it.” Abigail looks no less comfortable or beautiful than Judy, but seems to wear her own with more…grace. For not the first time, Judy wonders if the wrong sister inherited the rule. The diadem rests heavily on her head – she doesn’t care for formal events, particularly while wearing clothes such as _these_. But it is part of the job, part of keeping up appearances, and letting her people know that she cares, that she presents, that she _is_ presentable.

“He won’t be there,” her sister adds. Judy says nothing. “I know you wondered.”

“I have the guest list, Abby. I signed off on it.” She lifts her skirts and turns, walking out of the room. “I know perfectly well who will and won’t be there.”

 

* * *

 

The event in question is a show of support for the Burrow’s new inclusion laws. For ages, anyone _not_ a rabbit couldn’t sell, barter, or start a business within the borders of the Burrow. Judy’s predecessors had all insured that this had not changed. Judy saw the measures as useless, archaic, and prejudiced. They were one of the first things to go, but her advisers fought her on it. Hard.

_It will be political suicide, m’lady._

_The people will revolt, Lady Hopps._

_You will not see the end of the argument, my lady._

Only Nick, when she’d first suggested it, had agreed. Privately, of course. Before their…incident, he hardly spoke up at these joint meetings. Being the only fox, and one of the only predators, he confessed to her that he often felt isolated. The Burrow did not welcome the wilier species with open arms.

If only to herself, she wishes he _were_ here, just to see the looks on the old men’s faces when her reforms were cheered on by the supporters and well-wishers. While some saw the new ruling as explicitly pro-predator (to which Judy wondered, _was that wrong, inherently?_ ), others saw this as a chance to inject new life into the economy, and the business owners of the Burrow came out in support, in admiration, in joy.

Judy feels the tightness in her bodice subside, just a bit, as she releases a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding onto.

By her side, Abby smiles. “You’ve done good work here, Jude.”

“They’re happy, aren’t they?”

“Yes. Judy Hopps proves, once again, that the unpopular choice is usually the—”

Abby certainly finishes the sentence, but Judy doesn’t hear. The roar of the crowd suddenly swallows them both up, and she mistakes it for support a second too late.

The pain of steel slicing into her side doesn’t come right away. She is distantly aware that a body is close to her own, that they are holding her, that they are trying to take something from her.

What, she isn’t sure.

(Later, she will know, but now, she is confused.)

Abby’s face contorts, the crowd surges, the guards are suddenly there and suddenly Judy is looking up.

 _That_ is when the pain hits her.

_Oh._

So this is what it means, she thinks. To be the carrier of change. The inject it into the lifeblood of the people, like a spill of oil into the skillet. It sears, it pops and sizzles, it threatens to destroy, but also create. She _is_ that heat, that threatening, dangerous force.

These are sudden and striking thoughts to have as one stares upward and waits for the pain to stop. Abby is shouting, and Judy isn’t sure why. She wants to say that she’s quite alright, really. She just…wants to rest. Just for a while.

Just…for a bit.

 

* * *

 

She wakes, and she is…alright. The humming coming from the chair next to her is familiar, and Judy turns to see her mother, reading a book and turning the page. The sound of her daughter stirring in bed must rouse her from her thoughts. She looks up, and the books falls as Bonnie reaches out to take her daughter’s paw in her own. “ _Judy._ ”

“Hey, mom.”

“Oh, my sweet, sweet Judy.” She kisses her paw. “Are you alright?”

“I’ve been better.” Judy tries to sit up, but her mother keeps her down.

“You need more rest. Everything is being taken care of. You just keep to your bed and don’t get too worked up.”

Judy frowns. “What’s being taken care of?”

“They’re sorting out how that…that whoever got into the keep. Trying to figure out how, who they are exactly. You’ve been out a day or so.”

Judy sighs. “You got here fast.”

“I was already on my way, actually. Wanted to congratulate you on your new reforms.”

“It’s alright. The opposing party has already expressed their feelings.”

“Don’t be crass, Judith.” Her mother leans down and kisses her forehead. “Rest a bit more. You can go back to being the fearless leader in the morning.”

 

* * *

 

Begrudgingly, Judy takes her mother’s advice. When she wakes, she’s helped into a bath, and dressed in something comfortable. The attacker’s knife had not gone so deep to cause permanent damage. Abby tells her at breakfast that it was most likely _less_ of an assassination attempt and more of a message.

“To keep you alert.”

“Yes, _incapacitating_ me has kept me all ears,” she mutters.

“It’s only what Nicholas said.” Abby takes a cool sip from her tea. “He’s here investigating.”

Judy frowns. “He is.”

“Yes. He asked how you were getting on, and I told him that you were perfectly fine, except for the knife wound, of course.” She smiles. “He thought that was funny.”

“I’m sure he did.”

Abby shrugs. “He asked if you’d like to meet with him. I said you’d probably have to think about it.”

“Abby.” Judy’s voice snaps up, and her sister starts. “Don’t toy with him, or the situation.” She stands.

“Judy…”

Judy turns to her maid and asks her to deliver a messenger to Ser Wilde’s personal guard. “A meeting this afternoon, if he can spare a moment. In the library.”

Abby watches the girl go. “I was only teasing.”

“And I only want him _out_ of here before I go mad.”

“I thought you’d be happy to see him.”

Judy pushes her food away. “You thought wrong.”

 

* * *

 

He is waiting for her, and stands the moment she walks into the room. “Lady Hopps.”

“Ser Wilde.” She gives a half-hearted curtsy – she feels her wound today, made sharper, she thinks, by his presence. Her blood pounds in her veins, and the world threatens to become a bit fuzzy around the edges. This will have to be kept short, and she will have to keep her wits about her. “I’ve been told you’ve made some headway.”

Nick smiles. “I have. I want to apologize, though. I vetted your applicants, I hired them and placed and them and _you_ were meant to trust my judgment. Now I see that I’ve failed you.”

“You haven’t,” Judy says. “Don’t think that, and it’s an order.”

“I’ll do my best.” They both sit and wait as a maid brings tea service to the table. He takes his with three sugars and a squeeze of a lemon. Judy sips her plain. “The attacker was a rabbit, but you knew that. He was hired from outside the Burrow, so I’m not entirely sure where he comes from. He’s remaining rather silent on most matters.”

“A name?”

“Mason something or other. We had to dig deep, and he’s not very loud. He seems disinterested in your politics, only doing the job he was hired to do. I’m concerned he’s from the city, and if he is they’re going to want to try him on their own for the attempted murder of a government official, that being you. You’re a noble subsidiary of the king. You pay part of your taxes to him and you enforce his laws. _His_ court will want to try him, and become part of your success story.” Here, he pauses. “Despite the, ah, violence, I heard your reforms are going over quite well.”

Judy nods. “That’s what we’re hearing. When I’m better I’ll make an appearance. It’s planned for next week, but I would like to do it sooner, I think.”

Nick frowns. “I’ll stay ‘til that’s done, then.”

“You don’t have to.”

“I put your life in danger. One of your guards allowed this man to pass—”

“He could have snuck through—”

“The evidence points to the contrary, actually.” Nick sets down his cup. “There are rumors in the barracks that someone let him in.”

“Are you implying that one of my staff wants me dead?”

“I don’t think anyone wanted you dead. It was either a message, or whoever hired him was a coward. Killing a government official is a serious offense. Treason, actually. Usually punished with a decent hanging.”

“ _Decent._ Do you hear yourself?”

Nick laughs. “Sorry, it’s the city in me.”

“Of course.” Judy stands. “I’m tired, ser. I’ve had enough of this talk for the day.”

“I understand. I’ll escort you to your room—”

“The guard you hired standing outside this door is perfectly capable, Nick.” Her voice hitches upward. “Do not come here attempting to secure some sort of…of _pity_ from me. You hired the right people for the job. It isn’t your fault some of them would like to see me dead.” She turns on her heel, the guard following at a brisk pace. She doesn’t bother to look over her shoulder, but Judy knows he’s watching. He always is.

At her room, she sighs, and turns to her guard. “Thank you.”

“Of course, m’lady.” He bows, and says, “I think you’ve done a fine job, m’lady. My sister married into an otter family last year. Might not think that otters and rabbits get on well, but she’s happy. He’s been trying to sell some of his crop in town for ages. And I’m just glad to see my sister more often.”

Judy smiles. “I’m glad it’s affected you so.”

“It has, m’lady. Let me know if there’s anything else I can get you.”

 

* * *

 

Nick is right, of course. The would-be assassin is extradited to the city. Nick says he doesn’t seem upset about it.

“Prison system there doesn’t hurt these types. They always wind up with more work when they come out.” They’re walking together, now. Judy has finally allowed him to take a more personal hand in her security, and she hasn’t regretted it so far. “Your mother and father…”

“They rule a little town just north of here. They left yesterday.” Her father had joined her mother the day after she’d arrived, and while it had been wonderful seeing them both, neither Judy nor Abigail were too sorry to see them go. “You met them?”

“Yes. They weren’t afraid at all.”

“Abby prepared them,” Judy says dryly. “And their town has a large family of foxes. The Greys are prominent business owners, so we’ve been dealing with them for a while. They’re all very kind.”

“That’s good to know.” He pauses at the edge of the garden they’ve been trailing through. “Judy…I wanted to discuss our last conversation with you. The one before I left.”

“You mean the one where I told you I loved you.”

“The one where you kissed me.”

Judy turns to him, then settles down on a bench. “Go on.”

“I don’t want you to…to walk away from all this with the wrong idea. I didn’t mean to lead on or tease.”

“I never thought you had,” she says. “I thought it was I who’d done that.”

“Never,” he insists. “You were nothing but…but—”

“Spare me the idolatry, Nick. I don’t need it. I made a confession, and you told me how you felt. There’s no need to drag this on.”

“I do love you, though.”

Judy swallows. “Yes. I understand that. But if you think that you are underserving of a place by my side, then there’s nothing we can do about this, is there?”

He sighs. “No. I suppose not. I only…I didn’t like how we left things.”

She shrugs. “Then you shouldn’t have left it that way. What’s done is done, Nicholas. You and I are exactly who we are. I am not giving up my rule of the Burrow. And you…you will live where you please, and do as you please. I won’t restrain you. And, if you are so convinced that it is a reality, you shouldn’t allow yourself to diminish me.” She stands, now. “I still love you. But I can move on.” Judy begins walking back toward the keep. “Can you?”

Nick shakes his head. “I don’t think I can.”

“Then I have nothing else to say regarding it. You and I—”

Judy freezes as he reaches for her, his paws suddenly under her jaw, lifting her face toward his own.

“You’ve ruined me.”

“Good.”

“Of course you think that,” he growls. “Of course you want to fight and fight and _fight_.”

She huffs. “Either spit on me or kiss me, Nick. I know you want one or the other.”

“You don’t know a thing about me.”

Judy pushes him away. “I know you think little to nothing of yourself. I know you love me. I know you think you don’t deserve me. I know—”

She makes a noise. Soft. He kisses her. She leans into him.

Oh, she _loves_ him. She loves him and she needs him and she wishes he were hers.

_Mine._

_Nick._

“I want to be yours,” he murmurs. “But I don’t know how.”

“It would help if you would stay with me.”

“I can’t.”

Judy groans, pushing him away. “Then what is the _point_ —”

“Not now, at least,” he says quickly. Judy looks up. “In a few months, I can manage a placement here again, if you ask for it.”

“And then have me do what, Nick? Take you on as my mistress? Don’t insult me. I won’t hide—”

“Would it be too terrible for you to take your security advisor on as a very public lover? Or is that frowned upon in these parts?”

“All my predecessors were married. I am expected to do the same.”

He shrugs. “Propose marriage to me, then.”

“I will do no such thing.”

“Oh?” Nick leans closer, and bends down to one knee. “Then will I have to do it for us both?”

She tries to look unamused. She fails. “Get up, you look ridiculous.”

He complies and laughs. “I’m only saying that I want to be with you, Judy. In any way I can.”

She sighs, pulling him close and breathing him in. “I won’t keep you a secret, you know. If you are mine, then everyone will know it.”

“They’ll be disappointed.”

She pulls back, frowning. “I’m not sure if you know this, but even I have been known to be something of a disappointment to my parents.”

 “Believe me,” he says. “I’m well acquainted with the feeling.”

Judy hums, leaning close again. “But not to me.”

“No, not to you.” He kisses between her ears. “Will we cause a scandal?”

“Most likely. But I’m sure I can convince Abby to do something to distract them after a while. She’ll probably do something of her own accord, she hates it when I get more attention.”

Nick laughs. “I can only imagine what she’s been up to since your coronation.” They are quite for a while. He says, “I love you. Perhaps more than I can fully comprehend, right now.”

“That’s alright,” she assures him. “You’ll understand it later.”

He pulls back. “What _will_ become of us?”

“I’m not concerned for that.”

“Ah, so miss, _all my elders were married_ no longer cares for public perception—”

“I was _being_ contrary, or are you not acquainted with my general personality yet?” she grumbles.

He kisses her again. “I’m well aware of it, and enjoy it a great deal.”

“Then kiss me harder,” she insists. “And prove how much you enjoy me.”

“Ah, Lady Hopps.” He spins her, and catches her in his arms. “With pleasure.”

**Author's Note:**

> tumblr @ weatheredlaw
> 
> as always my work remains unbeta'd by anyone but myself, and i am not currently looking for one. all errors are my own and caught and corrected in time by yours truly.


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